mattercontrol/research/10-design-tools.md

Design Tools

Summary

MatterControl includes a comprehensive set of parametric design tools for creating and modifying 3D objects. Tools range from primitive shape generators to advanced boolean operations, mesh modifications, and text/image extrusion.

Technical Description

Architecture

Design tools are implemented as IObject3D subclasses:

Object3D (base)
├── Primitives (generators)
│   ├── CubeObject3D
│   ├── CylinderObject3D
│   ├── SphereObject3D
│   └── ...
├── Operations (modifiers)
│   ├── ScaleObject3D
│   ├── RotateObject3D
│   ├── AlignObject3D
│   └── ...
└── Boolean Operations
    ├── CombineObject3D (Union)
    ├── SubtractObject3D
    └── IntersectObject3D

Primitive Objects

Shape generators with parametric properties:

Primitive	Parameters
CubeObject3D	Width, Depth, Height
CylinderObject3D	Diameter, Height, Sides
SphereObject3D	Diameter, Latitude/Longitude Steps
ConeObject3D	Top/Bottom Diameter, Height
TorusObject3D	Outer Diameter, Ring Diameter
HemisphereObject3D	Diameter
PyramidObject3D	Width, Depth, Height
WedgeObject3D	Width, Depth, Height
RingObject3D	Outer/Inner Diameter, Height

Transform Operations

Operation	Description	Parameters
ScaleObject3D	Resize object	X/Y/Z scale factors
RotateObject3D	Rotate around axis	Angle, Axis
TranslateObject3D	Move object	X/Y/Z offset
MirrorObject3D	Mirror across plane	Mirror plane
AlignObject3D	Align to reference	Alignment mode

Array Operations

Operation	Description
ArrayLinearObject3D	Linear array (copies in line)
ArrayRadialObject3D	Radial array (copies in circle)
ArrayAdvancedObject3D	Custom array patterns

Mesh Modifications

Operation	Description
CurveObject3D	Bend mesh along curve
TwistObject3D	Twist mesh around axis
PinchObject3D	Pinch/bulge mesh
HollowOutObject3D	Create hollow shell
DecimateObject3D	Reduce polygon count
RepairObject3D	Fix mesh errors
PlaneCutObject3D	Cut with plane

Boolean Operations

Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG):

Operation	Result
CombineObject3D	Union (merge shapes)
SubtractObject3D	Difference (cut away)
IntersectObject3D	Intersection (common volume)
SubtractAndReplaceObject3D	Subtract with material replacement

Text and Image Tools

TextObject3D:

• Font selection
• Height/depth parameters
• Bold/italic options

ImageToPathObject3D:

• Image to vector outline
• Threshold control
• Extrusion depth

LinearExtrudeObject3D:

• Extrude 2D path to 3D
• Height, twist, scale parameters

Path Operations

Located in DesignTools/Operations/Path/:

Operation	Description
LinearExtrudeObject3D	Extrude path vertically
RotateExtrudeObject3D	Revolve path around axis
SmoothPathObject3D	Smooth path curves
OffsetPathObject3D	Offset/inset path

Property System

Design tools use [ShowAsMutableObject] and custom attributes:

[ShowAsMutableObject]
public class CubeObject3D : PrimitiveObject3D
{
    [DisplayName("Width")]
    public double Width { get; set; } = 20;

    [DisplayName("Depth")]
    public double Depth { get; set; } = 20;

    [DisplayName("Height")]
    public double Height { get; set; } = 20;
}

Rebuild System

Objects are rebuilt when properties change:

public override Task Rebuild()
{
    // Generate new mesh from parameters
    var mesh = CreateMesh();
    Mesh = mesh;
    return Task.CompletedTask;
}

Undo/Redo Support

Operations integrate with scene undo buffer:

sceneContext.Scene.UndoBuffer.Add(new UndoCommand(
    () => { /* undo action */ },
    () => { /* redo action */ }
));

Design Rationale

Parametric Objects: Storing parameters instead of fixed meshes enables:

• Non-destructive editing
• Dimension changes without re-creation
• Saved file size reduction

Hierarchical Operations: Nesting objects allows:

• Complex compositions
• Chained operations
• Clear modification history

Property System: Using attributes provides:

• Automatic UI generation
• Type-safe editing
• Validation support

Reference

Primitives

Class	Location	Description
CubeObject3D	DesignTools/Primitives/	Box primitive
CylinderObject3D	DesignTools/Primitives/	Cylinder
SphereObject3D	DesignTools/Primitives/	Sphere
TextObject3D	DesignTools/Primitives/	3D text

Operations

Class	Location	Description
ScaleObject3D	DesignTools/Operations/	Scale
RotateObject3D	DesignTools/Operations/	Rotate
AlignObject3D	DesignTools/Operations/	Align
ArrayLinearObject3D	DesignTools/Operations/	Linear array

Boolean Operations

Class	Location	Description
CombineObject3D	DesignTools/	Union
SubtractObject3D	DesignTools/	Subtraction
IntersectObject3D	DesignTools/	Intersection

Editors

Class	Location	Description
PropertyEditor	DesignTools/EditorTools/	Property grid
SheetEditor	DesignTools/Sheets/	Spreadsheet editor